


Harmonic Resolutions (The Incredulity Remix)

by antigrav_vector



Category: Captain America (Comics), Iron Man (Comic), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff, M/M, Rockstars, musician au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 10:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6076017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this story of a band, as seen through the eyes of its vocalist, we follow Tony Stark through the ups and downs that mark his career.</p>
<p>After fighting his way through the rocky starts of finding a label, and getting signed, not to mention the somewhat acrimonious way that came to an abrupt end, he manages to find it in himself to rebuild. It takes some time, but all Tony still needs is a guitarist. Or that's what he tells himself.</p>
<p>In the end, to know what else he's missing, it takes meeting his guitarist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Incredulity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3361337) by [Lets_call_me_Lily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lets_call_me_Lily/pseuds/Lets_call_me_Lily). 
  * In response to a prompt by [Lets_call_me_Lily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lets_call_me_Lily/pseuds/Lets_call_me_Lily) in the [Cap_Ironman_Remix_Madness_2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Cap_Ironman_Remix_Madness_2016) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  1) You can find my art here (there isn't much of it) http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lets_call_me_Lily  
> 2) MCU, 616, AU Pirates  
> 3) No previous remixes or WIP, or safe art :)
> 
>  
> 
> So, this was beta'ed by the lovely [fynndin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fynndin) on ridiculously short notice because I got this idea at the very last minute and scrambled to get it on paper in time. I feel like I didn't do the fic or the art proper justice, but I hope you like it anyway.

When Tony had gotten into the music business -- Jesus, it was kind of stunning to realise that that was almost seven years ago already -- he hadn't had much more than ambition, what with the way his father had disowned him and kicked him out without much more than the clothes on his back. He'd spent the first three years just fighting to make enough money to keep himself afloat until he could put together a proper set for an audition tape.

Back then, his gear had been sub-par, and he'd had to use his deft touch with tech to tweak the sound quality, essentially doing the post-processing himself. It had gotten him a few gigs, though, and those had eventually led to larger venues and bigger paychecks.

When, five years after he'd been kicked out of his parents' house, he'd been signed to a label at age 23, Tony had spent a couple of hours just huddled in a corner of his dingy apartment on the fringes of Chinatown, trying not to let the relief break him down and tear him apart.

That night, he'd partied hard enough to make up for at least one of his years of hard work. He was _in_.

It hadn't exactly been easy, after that, and he'd been forced to bow to the label's demands for years. He wrote his own music, defiant, keeping it to himself, safely hidden away where no one could get at it: in his head. The label's owner had gotten very friendly with him after finding out exactly who he had signed, and insisted Tony call him 'Obie'. It had felt weird, at first.

And, though it had taken time, he'd clawed his way up high enough to feel reasonably secure. He'd probably never quite reach the airy heights that the heroes he aspired to emulate had. The restrictions Obie had kept putting on him had chafed, but he'd needed the label. Needed the contacts they could provide, and the gear.

The only person at the label he could tolerate -- and even that had taken some time to accomplish -- was Natalie Rushman. Her unimpressed expression when he'd hit on her on their first meeting, and the way she'd effortlessly shot him down, had stung, but Tony was nothing if not resilient. He'd been back a week later, trying to smooth things over. She'd raised a delicate eyebrow at him, and silently accepted the flowers he'd brought.

Later that day, Obie had appeared, a heavy hand falling on Tony's shoulder, to ask whether he and Natalie were involved. Something had felt a trifle off. False. But he hadn't known better, then. Hadn't known to trust that gut instinct. He'd gone about his work, making his music and enjoying the payoff of his hard work.

That had all been Before. And yes, it merited capitalization.

Before Obie had tried to sue him for breach of contract.

It had all been completely spurious, but Tony'd had no way to prove it. He'd floundered for a couple of months, trying to lose himself in a bottle, while time slipped through his fingers and the court date loomed, until, two weeks ago, a bland-looking man in a well-tailored suit had knocked at his door. He'd kept the tiny apartment he'd started out in, partially out of nostalgia, and paid to renovate it himself. It was a small oasis of modernity among the other crappy apartments surrounding it.

The guy had walked in like he owned the place, looked around and nodded. "Mr. Stark," he'd said, holding out a business card that Tony gingerly accepted but didn't look at, "I'm here with an offer. I've been contacted by a mutual acquaintance who has suggested you might require my services."

A glance down at the card he held confirmed Tony's suspicions. A lawyer.

"If I lose this case, I won't be able to pay you," he said, the admission dragged out of him.

That had set the tone for their whole working relationship; Tony had decided to just roll with it. He didn't know of any entertainment lawyers in all of New York that would actually put in the effort to defend him, and that had been a large part of his lack of reaction to Obie's betrayal. The dynamic hadn't changed since.

There were just over two more weeks before the court date, and Coulson spent nearly all of them grilling him for every detail he could think of, putting together as solid a defense as he could muster. That had been enough to convince Tony of his investment in the case after the first afternoon, and when he'd relaxed so had the suit.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking out of the courtroom on weak legs, Tony only made it as far as his car because he could feel Obie's eyes burning holes in his back. Coulson stayed at his side, in subtle support.

They'd won.

It might have been on a technicality, but they'd _won_.

He had no idea what to do next, but he was finally _free_.

Tony got back to his apartment in one piece, and found the next stranger on his doorstep. This time it was an older woman, just slightly overweight, and looking like she could stare down a basilisk. Coulson, who had followed in his own car, raised an eyebrow at her and nodded. "Mrs. Arbogast," he greeted her by name, making Tony stare at him.

"You know her, Coulson?"

The lady, Mrs. Arbogast, sniffed. "Of course he does," she said, sounding offended. "We only dated for three years in college."

That was... Tony blinked and stifled a snicker. That was a mental image.

"And what can we do for you," Coulson prompted her, looking like he wanted to roll his eyes at Tony.

Mrs. Arbogast smiled, and it held a vicious edge. "A mutual acquaintance hinted that Mr. Stark might need some help getting his new label off the ground."

What the fuck? He hadn't told anyone about those plans. Ever. "Who told you that," he demanded, suspicious.

"Invite me in and we'll talk," Mrs. Arbogast replied, implacable. "You may as well join us, Philip. This could concern you as well."

The conversation that followed left Tony feeling almost dazed despite the fast pace his thoughts normally had. Mrs. Arbogast -- 'call me Bambi', she'd insisted as she made tea and produced cookies from somewhere in her purse -- had apparently accepted the task of helping him establish himself and run the day-to-day operations of the label. She wouldn't reveal who'd contacted her, but Tony could tell Coulson knew. That left him racking his brains to try to work out who it could be, and failing. Bambi, after she'd settled them all in the living room with said tea and cookies, turned to Coulson and caught his eyes with an arch look. "Think you can handle working together again, Philip," she'd asked him drily.

"That depends," he answered. "Are you going to disappear across the country again without notice?"

"We've been over that so many times. I couldn't turn down a contract that good." Bambi smiled at him and added, "I was hoping you'd forgiven me by now."

Tony wasn't sure what he was witnessing, but it was kind of hilarious. "So, anyway," he interjected, "what I'm getting out of this conversation is that I've effectively got some cash, and not much else to start this theoretical label with."

Coulson snorted, and Tony was fairly confident that was his equivalent of outright laughter. "Hardly," he retorted. "Bambi has all kinds of contacts throughout the industry, and I don't doubt you've got plenty more songs locked up tight in your head somewhere."

Tony scoffed. "That still leaves us without a band to help me record them, a recording space, the equipment to do said recording, or promotional materials."

Bambi patted his hand and caught his eyes over her half moon glasses. "Leave that to me, young man," she said. "Give me a few weeks to ask around, and write down those songs, meantime."

\------

True to her word, Bambi showed up periodically with new people to introduce to him, and each one seemed somehow perfect. She herself was rather more critical, and vetoed several candidates he would have accepted, after watching them interact with him for an hour apiece.

After Bambi had shown up with a slender redhead, nicknamed Pepper, and claimed she would be his new publicist, he'd been skeptical. Sure she looked the part, but looks tended to be deceptive in the entertainment industry. But Pepper had proven to be damn good at her job, effortlessly handing the press releases that went along with his new (probably temporary) solo career under the moniker 'Iron Man', and she'd brought a bass guitarist with her to Tony's apartment under a week later.

He and Rhodey had hit it off immediately, and that had been that. They'd spent four straight hours talking and jamming, and when Bambi had overheard the tail end of their session she had insisted that they record some of their work pronto.

Somehow that had snowballed into the two of them releasing an experimental single calling themselves the 'Iron Patriots'. Who the hell did any kind of release with nothing but bass guitar and vocals? Well, apparently they did. And it met with a surprising amount of success. Pepper had gleefully promoted it over and over at every music event she could find, and sales had jumped with each one.

That was when Rhodey had run into a pair of musicians he knew from his time in the Service, who were both looking for a band to join or a couple of people to join them, and so Tony had met Clint, who turned out to be a phenomenal drummer, and Thor. Thor was built like a brick house, and looked more like a club bouncer than a musician. He was also Swedish and liked electronic instruments of all kinds.

It didn't take long to incorporate them into the style that he and Rhodey had evolved, much to Tony's surprise. He liked it, though. It gave their music a lot more depth, and now they were starting to really gain a name for themselves.

Pepper and Bambi kept giving them all smug glances, and Tony couldn't find it in him to blame them. He was really starting to enjoy this whole 'team' thing that came with having a band that would actually work with him and seemed to genuinely think he had talent.

Thor was irrepressible, the best frontman Tony had ever seen, and somehow never failed to work the crowd into a frenzy when they played live, these days. Clint loved showing off his arms, and the ladies in the crowd adored him for it. Rhodey tended to stay in the background until they brought him forward for surprise solos at random intervals, and that seemed to be immensely popular with all the music snobs who thought they knew about music theory and why bass guitar was good for nothing but rhythm. Rhodey loved defying that stereotype.

Tony... Tony just played the showman to the best of his ability and sang until his voice gave out.

There was definitely still something missing, though, and everyone knew it, though it went unacknowledged in the face of their success.

They had no lead guitarist.


	3. Chapter 3

When another pair of strangers showed up on his doorstep, Tony eyed them warily. He'd finally given in to Bambi's prodding and gotten an apartment in a less exposed place, with a doorman, and decent security. He would have preferred to stay in his small apartment on the fringes of Chinatown, used to the relative anonymity of the place, but fans had started tracking him down despite the care he'd been taking not to appear in any registers, electronic or otherwise.

Less than a week later, and he was staring down two guys who looked like they could take down a tank bare-handed. One had a full sleeve tattoo -- which was fully on display thanks to the tanktop he wore -- of metal plates that ran from his wrist all the way up to wrap around his shoulder joint. It made his arm look almost like it had been made out of unpolished metal. The other was tall and broad shouldered, and damn if he didn't make Tony _want_ in ways he hadn't for years.

They stared one another down for a few long moments, until Tony asked, "can I help you gentlemen?"

Tattoos shrugged. "Word is you could use a guitarist and a bodyguard."

Tall blond and handsome smacked Tattoos' shoulder and added, "a friend of ours thought we might be able to help you out."

"Who?" Tony eyed them suspiciously.

"Let's talk inside," Tattoos suggested, and that made Tony feel oddly wary.

"You'll excuse me if I'm not overly trusting of two strangers who could probably break me in half without trying," Tony snarked back.

"Well, at least you're that smart. Puts you a few rungs over this knucklehead." Tattoos grinned and elbowed his friend.

"Bucky," Tall blond and handsome whined. Turning back to Tony he offered, "we can go to the cafe down the block if that's better."

Bucky shrugged. "Why not. Mr. Stark?"

"A moment," Tony said, and pulled out his phone. "Gotta let Pepper know. I was planning to meet her in an hour."

\------

After that, Steve and Bucky did indeed end up joining them. Lunch had been ... interesting, to say the least. Tony had finally found out Steve's name. _'So,'_ he'd said, tone slipping down into a lazy drawl and catching the man's eyes, _'you gonna give me your name? 'Cause, while I like the ring of it, 'tall, blond, and handsome' is a bit long.'_

He'd gotten an adorably cute blush in response.

That alone had almost convinced Tony to see whether the two of them would work out as additions to their little crew.

Pepper had texted back as their coffees arrived to ask him what the hell he was doing. Impulsively, he'd snapped a selfie with the two opposite him at the table, and sent it back. That had gotten him a raised eyebrow from Steve and a snigger from Bucky. "Showing us off," he'd teased, giving Tony a sly smirk.

It had surprised a laugh out of Tony, and broken the ice completely. Two hours, ten missed texts from Pepper, and two ignored calls from Rhodey later, he finally realised he'd totally forgotten about their rehearsal-slash-jamming session.

Steve and Bucky had just followed him as he'd hurried to catch the tail end of said rehearsal, as though he'd already accepted their offer, and introduced themselves to the rest of the band as a _fait accompli_. It was an impressive bit of social engineering, Tony could admit. He'd resented it a bit at the time, though. Steve and Bucky had simply ignored his fuming and won over the rest of the band almost as quickly as they had him. Rhodey in particular had approved, after he'd found out that Steve had been a Captain in the Army and Bucky had been his Sergeant.

He hadn't found out until months later, after they'd released their first album with Steve on as lead guitarist, that it had been Natalie who'd been sending him the random people who kept showing up at his door. By then, Steve and Bucky had become regular fixtures in the band itself, and Tony was having a hard time keeping from giving away his crush on Steve. Pepper kept giving him pitying looks, and the others mostly kept their own counsel.

Bucky did, in fact, act as Tony's bodyguard at the shows they played, taking advantage of his military training to keep them both in one piece. Of the others, most could handle themselves if that kind of situation arose, but Tony had no such advantage. Sure, he kept in shape, but he'd never really been in a fight, and all of them knew it. Until now, the rest of the band had been taking turns keeping a subtle eye on him, and it had worked out. But now that Bucky had taken on the job, they all relaxed. Rhodey had given Bucky an approving nod the first time an overzealous fan had rushed the band and immediately been pinned to the ground.

Once he'd learned who had been orchestrating his life, he'd anonymously sent her a lavish gift. He'd found out through little hints that they'd all dropped here and there that they were people she'd met through her job at Obie's label, and deemed 'too good' or 'too honest' to work for a man like Stane. Why she hadn't done that for him, given the way things had turned out, he didn't know. But she'd been the one to send him Coulson and Bambi.

In a very real way, though, she was the reason his label had even stood half a chance. He'd had a chance to gain a fanbase as part of Obie's label, and then to continue to make music afterwards. Coulson had fended off any number of attempts on Obie's part to try to beg, borrow, or steal the rights to various of Tony's songs. Coulson had succeeded primarily due to Rhodey's presence, at first. Having someone else's name also attached to the work made all the difference in the world, legally, and Rhodey had never been under Obie's thumb. Once the rest of the band had coalesced around them, the attempts had mostly fizzled out.

Now, though, his primary focus was on adapting the songs he'd been working on to fit Steve's unique style as much as he could, already working on the next album. Rhodey was helping, offering suggestions on chord progressions here or dynamics there.

Tony was distracted, though. It seemed like everyone else around him was happily dating someone, and he was the only one still single. Steve had whatever it was he was doing with Ms. Carter. Tony approved of her, for all that he was very jealous. It only reconfirmed that he had no chance and Steve was straight, but his crush, unfortunately, was going nowhere.

Clint was off doing his own thing, and Tony suspected he might be dating Natalie. The others weren't around at the moment. Thor was enjoying his fling with... Tony had to think for a moment to remember the chick's name. Jane, that was it. And Coulson and Bambi had apparently gotten back together.

Tony made a face at the page of sheet music and got a snicker out of Rhodey. "Try using a G major chord here," he offered. "You can modulate it down into a minor chord and then go back to the original progression."

"Hm." Tony considered it, and nodded, doing his best to force away the thoughts and focus on the music. That could work.

For that matter, Rhodey and Pepper were dancing around the issue of dating, and even Bucky seemed to be seeing someone, though he refused to say a word about whom.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks later, just as they finished writing the songs and were starting to practice them, Tony found himself shanghai'ed by Steve.

Steve had somehow managed to stow his guitar in record speed and hand it off to Bucky with a nod of thanks. Then Tony had been dragged out of their rented recording studio the moment practice was over, and out to their favourite steakhouse.

In the process, Tony had found out that, no, Steve wasn't with Peggy, and no, that wasn't on the table, for either of them.

Unsure what that meant, Tony had just nodded. Steve had grinned at him and told him he looked shellshocked. 

They'd been tentatively working toward this moment since then.

Leaning against his bedroom's doorframe Tony couldn't stop his [incredulous look](https://saneasiam.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/img_2160.jpg) from morphing into a sappy smile. Seeing Steve sprawled out across his bed, passed out asleep and wearing nothing but a pair of briefs, wasn't going to get old anytime soon. They hadn't had sex yet, but that was high on Tony's list of Things He Wanted To Happen In The Next Month.

When Pepper had found out about them, the morning after it had happened, she had squealed in glee and hugged him. Pulling out her phone, she'd texted Steve and asked him to join them, then started grilling Tony for details. He'd laughed and given her a few. Just enough to satisfy her and make her smile go all sappy. _'It's about time,'_ she'd told him, _'I was starting to wonder if we would have to resort to extreme measures to stop the pining.'_

Then Steve had shown up, a curious look on his face. It had been his turn to look shellshocked, as Pepper declared her intent to announce their relationship once they felt ready to come out. Tony had snickered at him and let Pepper do as she pleased for the time being. Steve could take care of himself, and Tony was fine with the idea of coming out. The band was well-established, and they could survive the controversy. Knowing Pepper, she would find a way to turn that into publicity for their next album and boost sales even more.

And so here they were, working themselves cautiously into a routine that balanced 'them' with 'work'.

Tony was enjoying it, even though it had occasionally felt more like torture and he'd had to jerk off at least once a day recently.

The last time, he'd done it in front of Steve, wearing nothing but a smirk.

It had gotten him a wonderful response.

And tomorrow, the band would assemble to make a first attempt to record the first song of their new album.

Tony grinned and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, peeling off his t-shirt as he moved. Steve didn't wake, but his arm went around Tony's waist, pulling him close with a wordless mutter. Stifling a laugh, Tony stripped off his jeans as well, until he was in nothing but his boxers, and let Steve cuddle him.

It had been a long road to get here, but worth every minute.


End file.
